JP2009027014A - Substrate-holding/rotating mechanism, and substrate treatment device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate-holding/rotating mechanism, and a substrate treatment device provided with the substrate-holding/rotating mechanism, capable of holding a substrate without contacting the main surface of the substrate, using a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate holding/rotating member 2 includes a disk-shaped spin base 7. A plurality of fixing/support members 10a-10f are fixed and are arranged on a circumferential edge part of an upper surface of the spin base 7, at a substantially equal angle interval. The lower part of a circumferential end surface of a wafer W is in point-contact with the fixing/supporting members 10a-10f, and the wafer W is held by the substrate-holding/rotating member 2. When the spin base 7 is rotated, the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the wafer W is discharged to the outside the spin base 7 by centrifugal force and is depressurized, and the space below the wafer W becomes a negative pressure space. The wafer W is pulled to the spin base 7 side, and the lower part of the circumferential end surface of the wafer W is pressed against the fixing/supporting members 10a-10f. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate holding and rotating mechanism that holds and rotates a substrate in a horizontal posture, and a substrate processing apparatus including such a substrate holding and rotating mechanism. Examples of substrates to be held or processed include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, plasma display substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, and magneto-optical disk substrates. And a photomask substrate.

  A single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one includes, for example, a spin chuck that holds and rotates a substrate in a horizontal position, and a processing liquid (chemical solution or rinsing liquid) with respect to the substrate held by the spin chuck. ) Is provided. The substrate processing process using such a substrate processing apparatus includes, for example, a chemical processing process, a rinsing process, and a drying process. In the chemical solution processing step, the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate held by the spin chuck. This chemical solution receives a centrifugal force on the substrate and spreads over the entire surface of the substrate. In the rinsing process, a rinsing liquid is supplied to the substrate held by the spin chuck. This rinsing liquid receives a centrifugal force on the substrate and spreads over the entire surface of the substrate. As a result, the chemical liquid on the substrate surface is replaced with the rinse liquid. In the drying process, the spin chuck is rotated at a high speed, whereby the rinse liquid on the substrate surface is shaken off by the centrifugal force.

Spin chucks include a vacuum chuck that vacuum-sucks the lower surface of a substrate and a mechanical chuck that sandwiches the substrate with a plurality of chuck pins. In the vacuum chuck, suction marks are formed on the lower surface of the substrate. Therefore, the suction marks need to be cleaned afterwards. Since the mechanical chuck has a configuration in which the chuck pin is in point contact with the peripheral end surface of the substrate, there is no problem of suction marks. However, a movable chuck pin and a driving mechanism for driving the movable chuck pin are required in order to place the chuck pin in the open position when the substrate is loaded / unloaded and in the clamping position when the substrate is rotated. Therefore, the configuration is complicated, and there is a problem that the cost increases accordingly.
JP 2005-019456 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate holding and rotating mechanism capable of holding a substrate without contacting the main surface of the substrate with a simple configuration, and a substrate processing apparatus provided with such a substrate holding and rotating mechanism. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention as set forth in claim 1 is a substrate holding and rotating mechanism (2) for holding and rotating a substrate (W) in a horizontal posture, wherein the spin base has an upper surface along a horizontal plane. (7:21:31), a rotation drive mechanism (9) for rotating the spin base around a rotation axis along the vertical direction, and substrate support means (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f), and the substrate support means does not include a movable member movable with respect to the spin base, and is fixed substrate support members (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) fixed to the upper surface of the spin base. 10e, 10f), and the fixed substrate support member comes into contact with a regulation surface (12) for regulating the peripheral end surface of the substrate from the outer side of the rotation radius, and a lower portion of the peripheral end surface, thereby In a position away from the pin base of the upper surface is one having a support portion for supporting the substrate (13), a substrate holding and rotating mechanism. Preferably, the fixed substrate support member is in contact with the peripheral end surface of the substrate in a state where the space between the upper surface of the spin base and the substrate communicates with the space outside the spin base. More specifically, a plurality of fixed substrate support members may be fixed to the upper surface of the spin base at intervals along the peripheral end surface of the substrate to be held. Moreover, it is preferable that the fixed substrate support member has a regulating surface disposed at a position corresponding to the outer shape of the virtual substrate larger than the substrate to be held so that the substrate can be taken in and out from above.

  When the spin base is rotated by the rotation drive mechanism while the substrate is supported by the fixed substrate support member, the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base and the substrate is discharged outward by centrifugal force. As a result, the space below the substrate becomes a negative pressure space, so that the substrate is drawn toward the spin base, and as a result, the lower portion of the peripheral end surface of the substrate is pressed against the fixed substrate support member. The substrate position in the rotational radius direction is regulated by the regulation surface of the fixed substrate support member. Therefore, the substrate can be held at an appropriate position where the centrifugal force can be balanced, and there is no possibility of the substrate jumping out of the rotation radius due to the centrifugal force.

  Since the fixed substrate support member is in contact with the lower portion of the peripheral end surface of the substrate, the substrate can be supported without contacting the main surface (upper surface or lower surface) of the substrate, so that the substrate is not contaminated. In addition, since the substrate is supported by the substrate support means that does not include a movable member movable with respect to the spin base, the configuration is significantly simpler than that of the conventional mechanical chuck, and the cost is reduced accordingly. be able to. In this way, both the disadvantages of the conventional vacuum chuck and mechanical chuck can be overcome.

  The mechanical chuck initially comprises a starfish-shaped spin base having three or six fingers extending radially from the center of rotation, and a movable chuck pin erected near the tip of each finger. It was configured to open and close. After that, in order to solve the problem of particles due to the disturbance of the atmosphere by the finger part, it was changed to a disk-shaped spin base, and a mechanical chuck with a movable chuck pin standing upright at the peripheral part of this disk-shaped spin base Was proposed.

  In a mechanical chuck using a starfish-shaped spin base, it is necessary to sandwich the substrate by a movable chuck pin during rotation. This is because the space below the substrate is substantially open and does not become a negative pressure space. On the other hand, if a disc-shaped spin base is applied, the space below the substrate becomes negative pressure, and therefore it is not necessary to hold the substrate with movable chuck pins during rotation. However, conventional disc-shaped spin-based mechanical chucks are not aware of such facts, and are designed with the fixed idea that the substrate must be held during substrate rotation. It was a complicated configuration including.

The inventor of the present application has discovered that the space between the plate-like spin base and the substrate becomes a negative pressure space, and the rotating substrate is sufficiently held by the pressing force generated by the negative pressure. It has come to be completed.
In order to sufficiently press the substrate against the fixed substrate support member with a negative pressure, the space above the substrate is preferably an open space. In this case, the open space means a space in which the member having the substrate facing surface is not disposed at a position close to the upper surface of the substrate, and therefore the space above the substrate is not substantially limited.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the pressure reducing means (22, 32) is provided on the upper surface of the spin base and depressurizes the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base and the lower surface of the substrate as the spin base rotates. The substrate holding and rotating mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising: With this configuration, the negative pressure in the space below the substrate can be increased by the decompression unit. Therefore, the substrate can be held more reliably.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate holding rotation according to the second aspect, the decompression means includes grooves (22) or protrusions provided on the upper surface of the spin base and formed radially with respect to the rotation center. Mechanism. With this configuration, the atmosphere in the space below the substrate can be efficiently exhausted and depressurized, so that the substrate can be reliably held.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is the substrate holding and rotating mechanism according to the second or third aspect, wherein the pressure reducing means includes a blade member (32) fixed to the upper surface of the spin base. With this configuration, the atmosphere in the space below the substrate can be efficiently exhausted and depressurized, so that the substrate can be reliably held.

  The blade member may be fixed to the upper surface of the spin base so that the atmosphere in the space below the substrate can be exhausted with the rotation of the substrate. For example, a plurality of blade members may be provided radially with respect to the spin base rotation center. In this case, the plurality of blade members may be provided linearly substantially along the rotation radius, or may have a curved shape that is convex in the rotation direction of the spin base.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate holding and rotating mechanism according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and a processing fluid supply means for supplying a processing fluid to the substrate held by the substrate holding and rotating mechanism. 3, 16), and a substrate processing apparatus (1:20:30). With this configuration, the substrate can be held and rotated with a simple configuration without contacting the main surface of the substrate, and the surface of the rotated substrate can be processed with the processing fluid. The processing fluid may be a liquid or a gas. Further, it may be in the form of two fluids (droplet jet) in which a gas and a liquid are mixed, or may be a mixed fluid of a processing liquid vapor and a carrier gas (nitrogen gas or the like).

  The processing fluid supply means may supply the processing fluid to the upper surface of the substrate, may supply the processing fluid to the lower surface of the substrate, and further, the processing fluid to both the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate. May be provided. When supplying the processing fluid to the lower surface of the substrate, it is preferable to supply the processing fluid to the upper surface of the substrate at the same time in order to cancel out the force that the processing fluid tends to lift the substrate.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer type apparatus for performing treatment with a chemical solution on the surface (upper surface) of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as “wafer”) W which is a substantially circular substrate.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 holds the wafer W in a substantially horizontal posture, and holds the wafer W on the substrate holding rotating member 2 that rotates about the rotation axis S along the vertical direction passing through the substantially center of the wafer W. A processing liquid nozzle 3 for selectively supplying a chemical liquid or a rinsing liquid (for example, pure water) is provided on the upper surface of the wafer W.
The processing liquid nozzle 3 is arranged with its discharge port directed substantially toward the center of the upper surface of the wafer W held by the substrate holding rotating member 2. The treatment liquid nozzle 3 can be supplied with a chemical liquid from a chemical liquid supply source via a chemical liquid valve 4, and can be supplied with a rinse liquid from a rinse liquid supply source via a rinse liquid valve 5. ing.

When the chemical liquid valve 4 is opened while the rinse liquid valve 5 is closed, the chemical liquid is supplied to the processing liquid nozzle 3 and the chemical liquid is discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 3. When the rinsing liquid valve 5 is opened with the chemical liquid valve 4 closed, the rinsing liquid is supplied to the processing liquid nozzle 3 and the rinsing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 3.
The substrate holding rotating member 2 includes a disk-shaped spin base 7 having an upper surface along a horizontal plane. The upper surface of the spin base 7 is formed as a flat surface. A plurality of (six in this embodiment) fixed support members 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, and 10f are fixedly arranged on the upper surface of the spin base 7 at substantially equal angular intervals. The plurality of fixed support members 10 a to 10 f are in point contact with the lower part of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W to support the wafer W. Thereby, the wafer W is held in a substantially horizontal posture at a position separated from the upper surface of the spin base 7.

The spin base 7 is fixed to the upper end of a rotating shaft 8 extending substantially in the vertical direction. A motor 9 as a rotation drive mechanism is coupled to the rotation shaft 8. By inputting a driving force from the motor 9 to the rotation shaft 8, the spin base 7 can be rotated around the rotation axis S along the vertical direction.
A lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15 is inserted through the rotary shaft 8. The upper end of the lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15 is connected to the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16 provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 8. The lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16 is disposed with its discharge port directed substantially toward the center of the lower surface of the wafer W held by the substrate holding rotating member 2. A chemical liquid is supplied to the lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15 from the chemical liquid supply source via the lower surface side chemical liquid valve 18. The rinsing liquid is supplied to the lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15 from the rinsing liquid supply source via the lower surface side rinsing liquid valve 19.

When the lower surface side chemical liquid valve 18 is opened in a state where the lower surface side rinse liquid valve 19 is closed, the chemical liquid is supplied to the lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15. The chemical solution supplied to the lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15 is supplied to the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16 through the lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15, and is supplied from the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16 to the center of the lower surface of the wafer W. .
When the lower surface side rinsing liquid valve 19 is opened in a state where the lower surface side chemical liquid valve 18 is closed, the rinsing liquid is supplied to the lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15. The rinse liquid supplied to the lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15 is supplied to the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16 through the lower surface side processing liquid supply pipe 15, and is supplied from the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16 to the center of the lower surface of the wafer W. The

The fixed support members 10a to 10f have the same shape. The shapes of the fixed support members 10a to 10f will be described by taking the fixed support member 10a as an example.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the fixed support member 10a.
The fixed support member 10 a includes a substantially columnar main body 11 erected on the upper surface of the spin base 7, and a columnar protrusion 14 protruding upward from an outer portion in the rotational radius direction at the upper end of the main body 11. Yes. A support surface 13 that supports the wafer W in point contact with the lower portion of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W is formed on the upper portion of the main body 11. The support surface 13 is an inclined surface that becomes lower as it approaches the rotation axis S of the spin base 7. Further, a regulation surface which is a curved surface convex toward the rotation axis S side of the wafer W is formed inside the protrusion 14.

  The regulating surface 12 is for regulating the peripheral end surface of the wafer W from the outer side of the rotational radius. Since the protrusion 14 is a convex curved surface, the peripheral end surface of the wafer W can be regulated with a small area. The restricting surface 12 (more precisely, the position closest to the rotation axis S of the restricting surface 12) is a virtual wafer W (for example, a circle having a diameter of 301 mm) that is slightly larger than the wafer W (for example, the diameter of 300 mm) held by the substrate processing apparatus 1. It is arranged at a position corresponding to the outer shape of the wafer. Therefore, the wafer W can be taken in and out from above the plurality of fixed support members 10a to 10f.

  In the substrate processing apparatus 1, for example, a series of substrate processing steps including a chemical solution processing step, a rinsing step, and a drying step are performed. A series of substrate processing steps will be described with reference to FIGS. In the chemical liquid processing step and the rinsing step, the chemical liquid and the rinsing liquid are supplied from the processing liquid nozzle 3 to the upper surface of the wafer W, but the chemical liquid and the rinsing liquid are supplied from the lower surface processing liquid nozzle 16 to the lower surface of the wafer W. Is not done.

  At the start of the substrate processing step, first, a wafer W is carried into the substrate processing apparatus 1 by a transfer robot (not shown), and the wafer W is held by the substrate holding rotating member 2 with its surface facing upward. In the holding state of the wafer W, the lower part of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W is in point contact with the support surface 13 of the fixed support members 10a to 10f. Since the plurality of fixed support members 10 a to 10 f are arranged at intervals, the space between the lower surface of the wafer W held by the substrate holding and rotating member 2 and the upper surface of the spin base 7 is the spin base 7. It communicates with the outside space.

In the chemical treatment process, the motor 9 is driven to rotate, and the spin base 7 is rotated in one direction (direction indicated by the arrow 17) at a predetermined rotational speed (for example, 1500 rpm) together with the wafer W while the chemical solution valve 4 is rotated. The chemical liquid is supplied from the processing liquid nozzle 3 toward the center of the surface of the wafer W.
When the spin base 7 is rotated at the predetermined rotational speed, the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the wafer W is discharged to the outside of the spin base 7 by centrifugal force, and the wafer W The space below is a negative pressure space. Therefore, the wafer W is attracted to the spin base 7 side, and as a result, the lower part of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W is pressed against the support surface 13 of the fixed support members 10a to 10f. While the spin base 7 is rotating, the position of the wafer W in the rotational radius direction is restricted by the restricting surfaces 12 of the plurality of fixed support members 10a to 10f. Therefore, the wafer W can be held at an appropriate position by which the centrifugal force can be balanced by the substrate holding rotating member 2.

In the chemical solution processing step, the chemical solution supplied to the surface of the wafer W receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the wafer W and spreads over the entire area of the wafer W. Thereby, the process using the chemical solution is performed on the entire surface of the wafer W. After a predetermined chemical solution processing time elapses, the chemical solution valve 4 is closed and supply of the chemical solution from the treatment solution nozzle 3 is stopped.
In the rinsing process, the motor 9 is driven to rotate, and the rinsing liquid valve 5 is rotated while the spin base 7 is rotated in one direction (in the direction indicated by the arrow 17) at a predetermined rotational speed (for example, 1500 rpm) together with the wafer W. The rinsing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid nozzle 3 toward the center of the surface of the wafer W. Also in this rinsing step, the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the wafer W is discharged to the outside of the spin base 7 by centrifugal force, and the space below the wafer W becomes a negative pressure space. . Therefore, the lower part of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W is pressed against the support surface 13 of the fixed support members 10a to 10f. While the spin base 7 is rotating, the position of the wafer W in the rotational radius direction is restricted by the restricting surfaces 12 of the plurality of fixed support members 10a to 10f. Accordingly, the wafer W can be held at an appropriate position where the centrifugal force can be balanced by the substrate holding rotating member 2.

The rinse liquid supplied to the upper surface of the wafer W receives the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W and spreads over the entire area of the wafer W. Thereby, the chemical solution adhering to the surface of the wafer W is washed away with pure water. After a predetermined rinsing time has elapsed, the rinsing liquid valve 5 is closed and the supply of the rinsing liquid from the processing liquid nozzle 3 is stopped.
In the drying process, the motor 9 is driven to rotate, and the wafer W is rotated at a high speed (for example, 3000 rpm). Thereby, the rinse liquid adhering to the surface of the wafer W is shaken off by the centrifugal force. Also in this drying step, the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the wafer W is discharged to the outside of the spin base 7 by centrifugal force, and the space below the wafer W becomes a negative pressure space. . Therefore, the lower part of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W is pressed against the support surface 13 of the fixed support members 10a to 10f. While the spin base 7 is rotating, the position of the wafer W in the rotational radius direction is restricted by the restricting surfaces 12 of the plurality of fixed support members 10a to 10f. Therefore, the wafer W can be held at an appropriate position by which the centrifugal force can be balanced by the substrate holding rotating member 2.

  In the drying process in which the wafer W is rotated at a higher speed than in the chemical treatment process and the rinsing process, the centrifugal force acting on the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the wafer W is large. The negative pressure in the space is larger than in the chemical treatment process and the rinsing process. Therefore, in the drying process, the wafer W can be more reliably held by the substrate holding rotating member 2.

After the elapse of a predetermined drying time, the rotation drive of the motor 9 is stopped and the rotation of the wafer W is stopped. Thus, a series of substrate processing steps for the wafer W is completed, and the processed wafer W is unloaded by a transfer robot (not shown).
In this embodiment, in each step, a blocking plate having a substrate facing surface is disposed close to the upper surface of the wafer W, and the atmosphere between the substrate facing surface and the upper surface of the wafer W is blocked from the outside. Is not done. Therefore, in each process, the space above the wafer W is not substantially limited. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent the space above the wafer W from becoming a negative pressure during the substrate processing step, and it is possible to reliably hold the wafer W by the substrate holding rotating member 2.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, when the spin base 7 is rotated by the motor 9 while the wafer W is supported by the fixed support members 10a to 10f, the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the wafer W are rotated. The atmosphere between is exhaled outward by centrifugal force. As a result, the space below the wafer W becomes a negative pressure space, so that the wafer W is attracted to the spin base 7 side. As a result, the lower portion of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W is the support surface 13 of the fixed support members 10a to 10f. Pressed against. At this time, the position of the wafer W in the rotational radius direction is restricted by the restriction surfaces 12 of 10a to 10f. Therefore, the wafer W can be held at an appropriate position where the centrifugal force can be balanced. Further, there is no possibility that the wafer W jumps out of the rotation radius due to the centrifugal force.

Furthermore, since the fixed support members 10a to 10f are in point contact with the lower part of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W and can support the wafer W without contacting the upper surface of the wafer W, the wafer W is not contaminated.
Further, the wafer W is supported by fixed support members 10 a to 10 f fixed to the spin base 7. Thereby, the support of the wafer W can be achieved with a complicated and simple configuration. Since the fixed support members 10a to 10f do not include a movable member that is movable with respect to the spin base 7, a complicated drive mechanism is not necessary. Therefore, the cost can be reduced.

4A and 4B are views showing a substrate processing apparatus 20 according to another embodiment (second embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus 20. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line CC in FIG. 4A.
In FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the same reference numerals are assigned to portions corresponding to the respective portions in the first embodiment described above. Further, in the following, detailed description of each part given the same reference numeral is omitted.

  In this embodiment, instead of the spin base 7 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a spin base 21 having a plurality of (eight in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B) groove portions 22 provided on its upper surface is used. Yes. The plurality of groove portions 22 are formed radially. More specifically, the planar shape of each groove portion 22 is a shape obtained by equally dividing a circle (16 equal portions in FIGS. 5A and 5B), and the plurality of groove portions 22 are substantially formed over the entire upper surface of the spin base 21. They are arranged at equiangular intervals.

  As the spin base 21 rotates, the plurality of grooves 22 formed on the upper surface of the spin base 21 rotate about the rotation axis S. At this time, the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base 21 and the lower surface of the wafer W is exhausted toward the outside of the spin base 21 and depressurized by the plurality of grooves 22 in a rotating state. Therefore, the space below the wafer W becomes a negative pressure space, and the wafer W is drawn toward the spin base 21 side. As a result, the lower part of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W is pressed against the support surface 13 of the fixed support members 10a to 10f. Therefore, the spin base 21 can be rotated while the wafer W is securely held by the spin base 21.

According to this embodiment (second embodiment), the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base 21 and the lower surface of the wafer W can be efficiently exhausted to the outside of the spin base 21 to reduce the pressure. Therefore, the wafer W can be reliably held by the substrate holding rotating member 2.
5A and 5B are views showing a substrate processing apparatus 30 according to still another embodiment (third embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus 30. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line DD in FIG. 5A.

In FIGS. 5 and 5, parts corresponding to the parts in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals as those parts. Further, in the following, detailed description of each part given the same reference numeral is omitted.
In this embodiment, instead of the spin base 7 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a spin base 31 having a plurality of (eight in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B) blade members 32 provided on its upper surface is used. ing. A plurality of blade members 32 are provided radially with respect to the rotation center of the spin base 31. Each blade member 32 extends from the vicinity of the rotation center of the spin base 31 to the peripheral edge, and has a curved shape that is convex in the rotation direction of the spin base 31 (the direction indicated by the arrow 17). A plurality of blade members 32 are fixedly arranged on the upper surface of the spin base 31 at equal angular intervals.

  As the spin base 31 rotates, the plurality of blade members 32 formed on the upper surface of the spin base 31 rotate about the rotation axis S. At this time, the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base 31 and the lower surface of the wafer W is exhausted toward the outside of the spin base 31 and depressurized by the plurality of blade members 32 in a rotating state. Therefore, the space below the wafer W becomes a negative pressure space, and the wafer W is drawn toward the spin base 31 side. As a result, the lower part of the peripheral end surface of the wafer W is pressed against the support surface 13 of the fixed support members 10a to 10f. Therefore, the spin base 31 can be rotated while the wafer W is securely held by the spin base 31.

  According to this embodiment (third embodiment), the atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base 31 and the lower surface of the wafer W can be efficiently exhausted to the outside of the spin base 31 and depressurized. In particular, since the blade member 32 is formed in a curved shape that is convex in the rotation direction of the spin base 31, the amount of atmosphere exhausted to the outside of the spin base 31 is large. Therefore, the wafer W can be more reliably held by the substrate holding rotating member 2.

While the three embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can also be implemented in other forms.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the substrate processing apparatus 1 has been described on the assumption that the upper surface of the wafer W is processed with a chemical solution. However, the bottom surface of the wafer W can be processed with a chemical solution.

  The wafer W is held by the substrate holding rotary member 2 with its surface facing downward. In the chemical processing step, the motor 9 is driven to rotate, and the spin bases 7, 21, and 31 are rotated together with the wafer W at a predetermined rotational speed, while the lower surface side chemical solution valve 18 is opened and the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16 is opened. A chemical solution is supplied toward the center of the lower surface (front surface) of the wafer W. The chemical liquid valve 4 is opened simultaneously with the start of the supply of the chemical liquid from the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16, and the chemical liquid is supplied from the processing liquid nozzle 3 toward the center of the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W. At this time, the discharge flow rate of the chemical solution from the treatment liquid nozzle 3 is substantially the same as the discharge flow rate of the chemical solution from the lower surface side treatment liquid nozzle 16.

  In the rinsing process, the motor 9 is driven to rotate and the spin bases 7, 21, 31 are rotated together with the wafer W at a predetermined rotational speed, while the lower surface side rinsing liquid valve 19 is opened, and the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle A rinse liquid is supplied from 16 toward the center of the lower surface (front surface) of the wafer W. Further, the rinsing liquid valve 5 is opened in conjunction with the supply of the rinsing liquid from the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16, and the rinsing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid nozzle 3 toward the center of the upper surface (back surface) of the wafer W. . At this time, the discharge flow rate of the rinsing liquid from the processing liquid nozzle 3 is substantially the same as the discharge flow rate of the rinsing liquid from the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16.

  By supplying the chemical liquid or the rinsing liquid from the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 16 to the wafer W from below, a force for floating upward is applied to the wafer W. However, the chemical liquid or the rinse liquid supplied from the processing liquid nozzle 3 to the upper surface of the wafer W cancels the force acting on the wafer W. For this reason, centrifugal force acts on the atmosphere between the upper surfaces of the spin bases 7, 21, and 31 and the lower surface of the wafer W, and the atmosphere is discharged to the outside of the spin bases 7, 21, 31, thereby The space below is a negative pressure space. As a result, the wafer W is pressed against the fixed support members 10 a to 10 f, and the wafer W is held by the rotation holding member 2.

In the first embodiment described above, the configuration in which the groove portion 22 is provided on the upper surface of the spin base 7 has been described. However, a radial protrusion is provided on the upper surface of the spin base 7 instead of the groove portion 22. It may be a configuration.
Furthermore, in the above-described second embodiment, each blade member 32 has been described as being formed in a curved shape that is convex in the rotation direction 17 of the spin base 31, but each blade member is substantially along the radial direction of rotation. It may be provided linearly.

Moreover, although it demonstrated that the chemical | medical solution and the rinse liquid were used for the process of the wafer W, gas may be used for the process of the wafer W, and the two fluid (droplet jet) which mixed gas and the liquid Or a mixed fluid of a processing liquid vapor and a carrier gas (nitrogen gas, helium gas or argon gas) may be used for processing the wafer W.
Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the substrate holding rotating member 2 that holds the circular wafer W has been described as an example. However, the substrate holding rotating member 2 may be configured to hold the square wafer W.

Furthermore, although the wafer W is taken up as an example of the substrate, the substrate to be processed is not limited to the wafer W, but a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a plasma display, a glass substrate for an FED, an optical disk substrate, It may be a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, or a photomask substrate.
In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a fixed support member. It is a figure which shows the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4A is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line CC in FIG. 4A. It is a figure which shows the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line DD in FIG. 5A.

Explanation of symbols

1, 20, 30 Substrate processing apparatus 2 Substrate holding rotating member (substrate holding rotating mechanism)
3 Processing liquid nozzle (Processing fluid supply means)
7, 21, 31 Spin base 9 Motor (rotary drive mechanism)
10a to 10f Fixed support member (fixed substrate support member)
12 Regulation surface 13 Support surface (support part)
16 Lower side processing liquid nozzle (processing fluid supply means)
22 Groove 32 Blade member S Rotation axis W Wafer (substrate)

Claims (5)

A substrate holding and rotating mechanism for holding and rotating a substrate in a horizontal posture,
A spin base having an upper surface along a horizontal plane;
A rotation drive mechanism for rotating the spin base around a rotation axis along the vertical direction;
Substrate support means provided on the spin base,
The substrate support means does not include a movable member movable with respect to the spin base, and includes a fixed substrate support member fixed to the upper surface of the spin base;
The fixed substrate support member supports the substrate at a position separated from the upper surface of the spin base by contacting a regulating surface that regulates the peripheral end surface of the substrate from the outer side of the rotation radius and a lower portion of the peripheral end surface. And a substrate holding and rotating mechanism.   The substrate holding and rotating mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a decompression unit that is provided on an upper surface of the spin base and depressurizes an atmosphere between the upper surface of the spin base and the lower surface of the substrate as the spin base rotates. .   The substrate holding and rotating mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the decompression unit includes grooves or protrusions provided on the upper surface of the spin base and formed radially with respect to the rotation center.   4. The substrate holding and rotating mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the decompression unit includes a blade member fixed to the upper surface of the spin base. The substrate holding and rotating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
And a processing fluid supply means for supplying a processing fluid to the substrate held by the substrate holding and rotating mechanism.

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